September 22, 2003

EX-CONFLICTS:
Brainstorming Discharge Plans to Prevent Recidivism for Prison Inmates

Grades:  6-8, 9-12

Subjects:  Civics, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"City Creates Post-Jail Plan for Inmates, By PAUL von ZIELBAUER", September 22, 2003

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students use their problem-solving skills to analyze the issues associated with discharged prisoners and recidivism. In groups, they brainstorm ten challenges associated with prison releases, a key underlying problem, ten possible solutions, and one best possible solution with a written action plan for implementing it.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE:
1 hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Reflect on the needs of male, female, and juvenile inmates upon release from long-term and short-term imprisonment.
  2. Examine a post-jail program for Rikers Island inmates by reading and discussing "City Creates Post-Jail Plan for Inmates."
  3. In groups, brainstorm ten challenges, an underlying problem, ten solutions, and a best possible solution for preventing recidivism.
  4. Write a one-page memo articulating the best possible solution to recidivism from their group brainstorming exercise.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: Ask students to respond to the following prompt in their journals (written on the board prior to class): "What kinds of support do you think someone who has just been released from jail might need? Would the needs be different for short-term versus long-term inmates? How might male, female, and juvenile offenders differ in terms of their post-jail plans?" Allow students several minutes to respond to the prompts. Then ask them to share their ideas with the class. On the board, use Venn Diagrams to show the common and unique needs of male, female and juvenile ex-convicts, and of short-term versus long-term inmates.
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article "City Creates Post-Jail Plan for Inmates," focusing on the following questions:
    1. What are some of the main features of the new post-jail plan for Rikers Island inmates?
    2. What is an example of the kind of work inmates would do upon release from jail?
    3. What percentage of inmates nationally is rearrested within three years of release from prison, according to the article?
    4. What are some of the departments involved with the plan?
    5. At which particular target prison population is this plan being aimed?
    6. How long do those detainees awaiting court dates usually stay in jail?
    7. What is the average stay for the city's sentenced inmates?
    8. How much does New York's Department of Corrections allocate per year for discharge planning?
    9. How many Rikers inmates are taking part in the program, and how many are projected to take part in the future?
  3. Divide students into groups of four. With the notion of recidivism in mind, explain that they will be expanding on the problems and solutions associated with prisoner discharge addressed in the article. Unlike the article, however, which focuses on Rikers Island in New York, groups will brainstorm "universal" problems and solutions for prisons in the United States to develop a best possible solution to be implemented nationwide. To direct students in this exercise, it may be helpful to give each group a copied "problem-solving template" with the following categories: 10 Challenges, Underlying Problem, 10 Solutions, Criteria for Selecting Solutions, and Best Possible Solution. Make sure to leave enough space beneath each category for student replies. If class time allows, students may support their challenges and solutions with statistical data from the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.
    First, groups brainstorm ten challenges associated with prisoner release (such as finding a means of financial support, finding a place to live, re-establishing contact with family or social networks, etc.). Then ask each group to discuss the following: Can you identify one of these challenges as a key underlying problem for discharged prisoners? Why is it a key issue?
    Next, groups brainstorm ten solutions to address their key underlying problem (such as short-term post-jail housing, a post-jail employment program similar to the Rikers Island plan, etc.).
    Following these solutions, groups should consider which criteria would make one of these solutions easier to implement than the others (affordability, potential to affect a larger number of former inmates, easiest to implement with existing agencies, etc.). Groups then list four criteria for evaluating their solutions (charting recidivism rates, increasing funding and grant support, etc.).
    Finally, after evaluating their solutions, groups then identify their best possible solution. In the remaining class time, groups draft a detailed action plan for implementing their solution. Questions to consider in this plan include:If time allows, groups may present their plans to their peers for comment and critique.
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: At home, each student should write a one-page memo to a political representative or a Department of Corrections staff member articulating his or her group's best possible solution to the prisoner discharge problem. Students should be encouraged to be succinct in the relaying of their solution in writing.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on written responses to the Warm-Up prompt, participation in class discussions and the group problem-solving exercise, and written one-page memos summarizing their group's best possible solution to the recidivism problem.

VOCABULARY:
comprehensive, graffiti, recidivism, discharge, confluence, detainees, allocates, initiative, grant, ex-con

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Research the history of Rikers Island, the small New York island that now houses a number of New York's correctional facilities. Look for photos and drawings of Rikers Island through the Twentieth Century to create a pictorial timeline. A helpful website to visit is: http://newmedia.jrn.columbia.edu/2003/islands/zone2/rikershistory.html#.
  2. What requirements are there to work in a correctional facility? Research a job such as a prison guard to find out the educational background, training, average salary, work hours, and mental and physical health supports associated with this position. Can you find any statistics that address the challenges and obstacles in, or benefits of, working in a punitive environment? Summarize your findings by writing a guide to working in the jails.
  3. The article mentions that Rikers Island inmates clean graffiti from New York City neighborhoods. What is your opinion of graffiti? Is graffiti a serious criminal challenge facing urban environments, or can it be a means of artistic and personal expression? Stage a debate between supporters and critics of the role of graffiti in urban neighborhoods.
  4. Create a schematic diagram to show the relevant New York City departments that could be involved in creating a post release plan for ex-cons. Detail what each department could contribute to the post-jail plan. Use the New York City government home page to find what departments and agencies exist and their oversight descriptions ( http://www.nyc.gov).

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Economics- The article mentions that "since early August, about 280 Rikers inmates have begun minimum-wage jobs cleaning New York City neighborhoods of litter and graffiti..." Find out what the minimum wage is in New York City. Calculate a minimum-wage worker's full time salary. Also select a typical residential neighborhood in New York City and research the cost of living there. Write an editorial about the sustainability of a minimum wage job in New York City and what, if any, additional supports the city should offer to ex-cons to help their financial situations. Keep in mind the possible demographics of an ex-con, including having a spouse and children.

Health- How does prison food compare to that of other institutions, such as hospitals and schools? Are there state or national guidelines by which institutional food is measured for its nutritional value? Write an informative report, comparing at least three types of public institutions' daily menus.

Mathematics- The article mentions that 30 percent of Rikers Island inmates were homeless before going to jail. Research and chart the homeless rates in large cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago over the past twenty years. Then compare these rates to the number of inmates in large correctional facilities near these cities. In a summary report, note any patterns in comparing these rates.

Copyright 2003
The New York Times Company

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